CALDWELL, Idaho — For some Caldwell locals, like Joe Dory, the city's airport means a lot.
Dory's been flying in and out of the "Treasure Valley Executive Airport at Caldwell" for more than 20 years. For the past five years, he's sold airplanes and gas.
"I make my living here, I raise my family here, and I play here as well," he said.
But the airport Dory once knew looks a lot different now. He said the community is losing its small-town feel as more and more people choose to fly through Caldwell.
"The growth at this airport has been explosive," he said.
More airplanes fly in and out of Caldwell's airport than any other airport in the state, including Boise's. Just last year, there were 147,000 takeoffs and landings, said Brent Orton, Caldwell public works director.
To accommodate that growth, the city is looking to make some changes around the airport. A few changes are already in the works, like adding a wash rack for airplanes and designating space for more hangers.
There are some bigger changes down the line as well, like adding a control tower and extending the airport's only runway. All of these changes are outlined in the city's airport master plan.
Currently, safety is a concern. Without a control tower, pilots can come and go as they please. With a control tower, Dory said they would be subject to strict radio communication.
"They tell you where everybody's at," Dory said. "Right now, you have to find [other pilots] on your own, hope that they're talking on the radio and hope that they're where they're telling you they are."
Dory said not everyone is a fan of adding restrictions and that "it will run off a lot of people that don't want to have to talk on the radio and ask for permission to come and go."
Orton said extending the runway across Linden Street for bigger aircraft is another reason to add a control tower.
"It will facilitate some of the larger commercial folks who may want to operate here and may not be able to consistently do so," he said.
Adding a control tower and extending the runway is a long way off. Orton said people could expect a control tower in the next five years and a longer runway in the next 10.
The Federal Aviation Administration has to approve adding a control tower and extending the runway since the airport needs to meet certain regulations, he said.
The FAA would likely cover most of the cost for the runway extension and other airport improvement projects, Orton said. But the city would be responsible for paying to build the control tower.
He said they're hoping to receive a grant.
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